Grade Level, Course, and Subject: This is designed to be used in a 9th-10th grade biology class learning about basic genetics and rules of inheritance, or any level biology class.
Lesson Overview: Given a brief description of a dihybrid cross in comparison to a monohybrid cross, the students will complete a Punnett Square for a dyhybrid cross to test for dominant and recessive genes in two separate characteristics and predict offspring genotype, phenotype, and ratios of each.
Students' Prior Knowledge to the subject:
The students will already have learned to calculate allelic combinations and predict offspring genotype, phenotype, and ratios of monohybrid crosses.
Learning Performances
From this lesson students will be able to:
Distinguish the difference between monohybrid crosses and dihybrid crosses
Complete a full dihybrid cross
Predict both phenotype and genotype offspring ratios for a dihybrid cross
Understand the purpose of allelic crosses
Links to Standards or Benchmarks:
This task is designed to assess the National Science Content Standards:
NS.9-12.3- : The cell & Molecular basis of heredity
Students will not be allowed to use any references, but will be given the handout explaining the task. They will complete the assignment on the attached answer sheets.
Time Required:
This task is to be completed in class and students will be given one (40min) class period to complete this task. No additional time will be given.
Instructional Sequence:
Introducing the lesson
I will introduce this lesson to the students by first having them write in their journals when they enter the class. The journal entry would be "What is a monohybrid cross? List the steps needed to complete one." I will give the students about 5 minutes to answer this, then I will discuss it as a class as review and clarification. Then I would say "Suppose aliens invaded the earth and scientists capture some of them to study and only noticed physical different among their eye color and height. If you were hired, would you be able to predict gamete combinations along with the genotypes and phenotypes of the offspring of two particular aliens? Would you be able to do it using one Punnett Square? Today you will find out!"
Instructional Activities
I will then hand out the worksheet packets that I have created and briefly explain it, but making sure not to give too many hints (because the puurpose is for them to figure it out themselves). The worksheet activity is well thought out and provokes questioning, so after I hand it out, it would be a silent activity. Everything the students will do to apply the lesson's concepts would be done on the worksheets.
Concluding the Lesson
The students will work throughout the period silently, as if taking a test (it is a graded activity). I will not go over anything that day not just because there will be no time, but because I will have more than 1 biology class, and I do not want the last class to have receive the correct answers from their friends in previous classes. The next class though, I will ask first ask them to write in their journals describing whether or not they liked the activity and why, as well as if they thought it was too difficult or easy and why. I will then ask them aloud what they thought, then I will return their activities back to them graded. I will then go over the activity on the board and explain it. Next I will lecture a bit on dihybrid crosses, relating it to the activity and go over different techniques and purposes before wrapping up the lesson.
Assessing Student Understanding
Students will be graded based on the rating scale rubrics, which focuses on each of the steps the student is asked to complete and quality of work. I can also asses their understandings through their journal entries and at the end of the unit, I will also compile a test which will include this lesson.
Cautions
There are no dangerous or hazardous components of the activities associated with the lesson.
Sources
I came up and developed the entirety by myself in EDC371. I used no sources whatsoever.
Teaching Resources:
These are the actual activities and rubrics that I created and I will be using in my classroom.
There could be some challenges if for some reason, one or a few of the students completely don't understand the assignment. This could be a bit of a problem not because they don't understand right yet, but because the activity is independent and quiet work. They aren't supposed to receive much help due to the fact it is test-like in nature and challenges them to try to figure out a situation in which they have some knowledge, but develop a scientific concept themselves. Because of this, I created the rubric in a way so that even if the students have the incorrect answers in the beginning, even though they use those answers throughout the rest of the activity, they won't be penalized again and again. I will encourage them with this thought, and encourage them to apply their previous knowledge.
If I run into the situation where I have students with special needs, I will accommodate and/or modify this activity to their personal needs and/or IEP.
The rationale:
This lesson plan allows the students to practice scientific inquiry. The NSES state "Scientific inquiry refers to the diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on the evidence derived from their work. Inquiry also refers to the activities of students in which they develop knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, as well as an understanding of how scientists study the natural world." Through this activity, students must apply what they have previously learned about monohybrid crosses and allelic combinations to complete a dihybrid cross and develop rules for conducting it and interpreting it. The students will have to think critically to successfully complete the assigned task.
Is it clear that the lesson addresses both important content and scientific practices?
Maybe. The NSES emphasizes the need for students to understand the cellular roots of heredity, including the role of DNA, etc, at the molecular level in heredity. Do you consider having students work do this level of work with Punnett Squares as addressing this need? If so, then that, and the other concepts that you decide to include, should be included in an "unpacking" of the learning goal.
Do you think that your instructions on the worksheet support students thinking and acting like scientists? If so, then what science practices will they be refining in this lesson? You should make these clear in the learning performances.
Instructional Activities
What science practices are required?
Students are performing the actions associated with investigating heredity. It might be difficult if a student has trouble following the worksheet's directions and cannot progress because you're conducting the class like a test. Why are you doing this? I can see that maybe if the activity is supposed to be a performance assessment, but science is generally a social enterprise. If you have to make changes after first period, I would suggest (a) having students work in pairs, or (2) "selling" hint sheets for one or two points deducted from score.
How are the science practices assessed?
I suspect that your rubric, though well thought out, maybe difficult to use. I would suggest that you prompt students to support their final answer with evidence from their previous work and their prior understanding of heredity.
Other notes:
You clearly have put a lot of thought and work into this lesson, and I am delighted that you could adapt your work for 371. You can make the lesson plan stronger by adding more detail about what you will do to support your students while they work on the assignment. It is probably not reasonable to think they will all be able to work independently, so what will you do to assess and scaffold their progress?
This may seem silly, but I am a bit concerned with the message your assignment sends about how scientists do research on other species. Though we "mate" and catalog animals, I would argue that the aliens are probably more advanced than we are, and therefore it migth not be ethical to perform this type of research on them without their informed consent. If you have a student that points this out, how will you address the issue?
Grade Level, Course, and Subject: This is designed to be used in a 9th-10th grade biology class learning about basic genetics and rules of inheritance, or any level biology class.
Lesson Overview: Given a brief description of a dihybrid cross in comparison to a monohybrid cross, the students will complete a Punnett Square for a dyhybrid cross to test for dominant and recessive genes in two separate characteristics and predict offspring genotype, phenotype, and ratios of each.
Students' Prior Knowledge to the subject:
The students will already have learned to calculate allelic combinations and predict offspring genotype, phenotype, and ratios of monohybrid crosses.
Learning PerformancesFrom this lesson students will be able to:
Links to Standards or Benchmarks:This task is designed to assess the National Science Content Standards:
NS.9-12.3- : The cell & Molecular basis of heredity
NS.9-12.7- : Science as a human endeavor
Materials Needed
Students will not be allowed to use any references, but will be given the handout explaining the task. They will complete the assignment on the attached answer sheets.
Time Required:
This task is to be completed in class and students will be given one (40min) class period to complete this task. No additional time will be given.Instructional Sequence:
Introducing the lesson
I will introduce this lesson to the students by first having them write in their journals when they enter the class. The journal entry would be "What is a monohybrid cross? List the steps needed to complete one." I will give the students about 5 minutes to answer this, then I will discuss it as a class as review and clarification. Then I would say "Suppose aliens invaded the earth and scientists capture some of them to study and only noticed physical different among their eye color and height. If you were hired, would you be able to predict gamete combinations along with the genotypes and phenotypes of the offspring of two particular aliens? Would you be able to do it using one Punnett Square? Today you will find out!"
Instructional Activities
I will then hand out the worksheet packets that I have created and briefly explain it, but making sure not to give too many hints (because the puurpose is for them to figure it out themselves). The worksheet activity is well thought out and provokes questioning, so after I hand it out, it would be a silent activity. Everything the students will do to apply the lesson's concepts would be done on the worksheets.
Concluding the Lesson
The students will work throughout the period silently, as if taking a test (it is a graded activity). I will not go over anything that day not just because there will be no time, but because I will have more than 1 biology class, and I do not want the last class to have receive the correct answers from their friends in previous classes. The next class though, I will ask first ask them to write in their journals describing whether or not they liked the activity and why, as well as if they thought it was too difficult or easy and why. I will then ask them aloud what they thought, then I will return their activities back to them graded. I will then go over the activity on the board and explain it. Next I will lecture a bit on dihybrid crosses, relating it to the activity and go over different techniques and purposes before wrapping up the lesson.
Assessing Student Understanding
Students will be graded based on the rating scale rubrics, which focuses on each of the steps the student is asked to complete and quality of work. I can also asses their understandings through their journal entries and at the end of the unit, I will also compile a test which will include this lesson.
Cautions
There are no dangerous or hazardous components of the activities associated with the lesson.
Sources
I came up and developed the entirety by myself in EDC371. I used no sources whatsoever.Teaching Resources:
These are the actual activities and rubrics that I created and I will be using in my classroom.
Challenges in carrying-out the investigation:
There could be some challenges if for some reason, one or a few of the students completely don't understand the assignment. This could be a bit of a problem not because they don't understand right yet, but because the activity is independent and quiet work. They aren't supposed to receive much help due to the fact it is test-like in nature and challenges them to try to figure out a situation in which they have some knowledge, but develop a scientific concept themselves. Because of this, I created the rubric in a way so that even if the students have the incorrect answers in the beginning, even though they use those answers throughout the rest of the activity, they won't be penalized again and again. I will encourage them with this thought, and encourage them to apply their previous knowledge.
If I run into the situation where I have students with special needs, I will accommodate and/or modify this activity to their personal needs and/or IEP.
The rationale:
This lesson plan allows the students to practice scientific inquiry. The NSES state "Scientific inquiry refers to the diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on the evidence derived from their work. Inquiry also refers to the activities of students in which they develop knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, as well as an understanding of how scientists study the natural world." Through this activity, students must apply what they have previously learned about monohybrid crosses and allelic combinations to complete a dihybrid cross and develop rules for conducting it and interpreting it. The students will have to think critically to successfully complete the assigned task.
Inquiry Lesson Feedback: Krista B.
Evaluated by: Jay F.Score: 9/10
Standards / Learning Performances
Is it clear that the lesson addresses both important content and scientific practices?
Maybe. The NSES emphasizes the need for students to understand the cellular roots of heredity, including the role of DNA, etc, at the molecular level in heredity. Do you consider having students work do this level of work with Punnett Squares as addressing this need? If so, then that, and the other concepts that you decide to include, should be included in an "unpacking" of the learning goal.
Do you think that your instructions on the worksheet support students thinking and acting like scientists? If so, then what science practices will they be refining in this lesson? You should make these clear in the learning performances.
Instructional Activities
What science practices are required?
Students are performing the actions associated with investigating heredity. It might be difficult if a student has trouble following the worksheet's directions and cannot progress because you're conducting the class like a test. Why are you doing this? I can see that maybe if the activity is supposed to be a performance assessment, but science is generally a social enterprise. If you have to make changes after first period, I would suggest (a) having students work in pairs, or (2) "selling" hint sheets for one or two points deducted from score.How are the science practices assessed?
I suspect that your rubric, though well thought out, maybe difficult to use. I would suggest that you prompt students to support their final answer with evidence from their previous work and their prior understanding of heredity.
Other notes:
You clearly have put a lot of thought and work into this lesson, and I am delighted that you could adapt your work for 371. You can make the lesson plan stronger by adding more detail about what you will do to support your students while they work on the assignment. It is probably not reasonable to think they will all be able to work independently, so what will you do to assess and scaffold their progress?
This may seem silly, but I am a bit concerned with the message your assignment sends about how scientists do research on other species. Though we "mate" and catalog animals, I would argue that the aliens are probably more advanced than we are, and therefore it migth not be ethical to perform this type of research on them without their informed consent. If you have a student that points this out, how will you address the issue?